With no recorded sightings before 1885, noctilucent clouds have been linked to volcanoes, pollution or climate change

As summer arrives in the northern hemisphere, so do the noctilucent clouds – hopefully. These high-altitude formations are as enigmatic as they are beautiful. Their name derives from Latin, meaning “night shining”.

They appear during the summer months and glow with an...

Study finds activity is not harmful or caused by stress of captivity – and is in fact more common in wild birds

An investigation into acts of self-pleasure among parrots and other birds has reached a climax, with the results providing welcome relief for vets and researchers, not to mention the birds themselves.

Bird keepers are often advised to discourage and even punish birds for masturbating,...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

If an alien landed and asked you: “What is this thing you call music?” what would you play for them? And why? Heather, Kent

Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be...

Experts hail daraxonrasib as ‘gamechanger’ for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer

A daily pill can double survival time in patients with the world’s deadliest cancer, according to the results of a clinical trial that experts are saying is a “gamechanger” and one of the biggest breakthroughs in decades.

Currently, there are few treatments for pancreatic cancer, and most do little or...

In my hometown, Bethal – a tiny Mpumalanga town of about 128,000 residents surrounded by coal mines and power stations – Eskom could close or reconfigure the many coal power stations in the area. This simply means fewer jobs for young people seeking employment. On the other hand, the massive R25 billion to R35 billion hybrid wind […]

Meteor was travelling at 75,000 miles per hour (more than 120,000 km/h) at an altitude of 40 miles when it broke apart

A meteor crashing toward Earth exploded over the north-eastern United States on Saturday, Nasa said, setting off booms that echoed over the region with a blast equivalent to 300 tons of TNT.

The fireball broke up over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire...

Jab brought ‘unprecedentedly strong responses’ in patients whose disease had become resistant to chemotherapy and immunotherapy

Doctors have hailed “unprecedented” trial results that show a triple-action cancer jab can eradicate entire tumours in patients.

In an international trial spanning 11 countries, the injection was offered to patients whose cancer had spread or come back and whose...

Results presented at oncology conference in Chicago show Galleri test failed to reduce late-stage cancer diagnoses

A blood test for more than 50 types of cancer that was billed as the holy grail of oncology has failed to achieve its main objective in a major clinical trial, according to data presented at the world’s largest cancer conference.

The goal of the study involving 142,000 NHS patients...

The Canadian entrepreneur has always pushed the boundaries of gene editing, once attempting to turn horses into unicorns. Now she is set on modifying human embryos – something her controversial ex-husband was jailed for doing

On a Friday evening in late April, Cathy Tie, the Canadian serial entrepreneur and self-styled “Biotech Barbie”, is centre stage at New York City’s famous Carnegie...

A blue micromoon is a rare spectacle, though it’s not as blue or as micro as you might imagine

This weekend the night skies will feature a rare spectacle – a blue micromoon. We take a look at what the phrase means and how to catch a glimpse of the event.

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Findings add to growing efforts to explain why cancer rates are increasing among younger adults worldwide

Poor sleep may be fuelling the global rise in under-50s being diagnosed with cancer, two large studies suggest.

The number of younger people diagnosed with the disease has risen by almost 80% in three decades. Worldwide cases of early-onset cancer increased from 1.82m in 1990 to 3.26m in...

Trial suggests patients with a low test score could be treated with hormone therapy alone with near-identical outcomes

‘Like Christmas’: woman’s relief after test finds she can skip chemotherapy

Millions of women with breast cancer could be spared chemotherapy with a groundbreaking genomic test, according to the results of a trial that could transform healthcare guidelines worldwide.

Treatment...

Karen Bonham was part of successful trial for genomic test that determines which women with breast cancer can safely avoid chemotherapy

Groundbreaking genomic test could spare millions of breast cancer patients chemotherapy

A landmark study shows millions of women with breast cancer could skip chemotherapy thanks to a genomic test that determines who needs the treatment and who doesn’t.

The...

Huge Group Limited (JSE: HUG), a South African investment holding entity focused on building and managing strategically integrated enabling ecosystems, today announced the publication of its Integrated Annual Report for the financial period ended 28 February 2026.  The report details Huge Group’s continued evolution as an investment holding company focused on ecosystem investments and provides […]

Victoria, BC  – Harry Howard AI, the innovative AI-powered startup execution platform, today announced the successful closing of its $3,000,000 USD Seed funding round. The funding round saw strong participation from a prominent group of global venture capital firms and angel networks, including B Strategy , Metalabs Ventures , Neuralhash Capital, Mantella Venture Partners, Inovia […]

Developer Infinity Ward said the game will be “grounded in the military authenticity” the series is known for.

Building a proprietary financial or gaming platform from scratch used to be a badge of honor. Founders would spend eighteen months raising capital, hiring engineering teams, and arguing over database architecture before writing a single line of client-facing code. In the current market, that approach is financial suicide. Investors are exhausted by long development cycles, […]